"Garden of Kings" by photographer Ariana Winbush
The 2023 International Photography Exhibition features 40 original photographs taken overseas in 20 different countries by 35 Ohio State students, staff, faculty, visiting scholars and alumni. Over 300 members of the campus community submitted more than 650 photographs across three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture. The exhibition includes a diverse selection of images captured in Argentina, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, France, Georgia, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Uganda.
Ariana Winbush, an English and Spanish double-major, earned Best in Show for her “Garden of Kings” photographed while studying abroad in Madrid. A staff member, Bob Ditty earned the First Place award in the People category for his portrait, “The Ugandan Centenarian Mzee” captured in Jinja, Uganda. WOSU staff member Ryan Staples was award Second Place for “Udaipur Women” and “No fear” by graduate student Mashnur Rashid earned Third Place in the People category. The top photo in the Places category was “Shanghai in the Rain” by alumnus Brian Cruickshank. Second place went to “Mulafossur Waterfall” by alumnus Shin Wong. Captured by graduate student Vaasavi Unnava, “The Otter” was awarded Third Place in the Places category.
Taken by staff member Jen Heaton, “Cobalt” earned the First Place award in the Arts & Culture category. “Traditional farming” earned the Second Place award for visiting scholar Manoj Patil. Staff member Aaron James won the Third Place award for “Sorrento Family Farm” in the Arts & Culture category.
The 40 images selected for the exhibit were entered into an online People’s Choice vote through the Office of International Affairs Facebook page and Instagram feed. More than 4,100 votes were cast and People’s Choice winners were chosen by the public in each category. Faculty member Ranjith Kumar Abhinavam’s image “Pathos” was honored in the People category. Captured by international studies and Korean double-major Ryan McGraw, “Azure Umbrella” won the people’s choice honor in the Places category. “Traditional farming” earned the people’s choice award for visiting scholar Manoj Patil in Arts & Culture.
The 35 exhibition photographers represented a cross-section of Buckeyes including: 10 undergraduate students, six graduate students, seven staff members, one faculty member, one visiting scholar and 10 alumni. Not only are the photographs international, but many of the photographers are as well. Fifteen photographers are international and hail from nine different countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Mongolia, Taiwan and Russia. Six of the photographers are from China and three from India.
Photographs in the exhibition were first submitted in three categories to the International Photography Competition, an annual contest open to all members of the Ohio State community. Over 300 members of the campus community submitted more than 650 photographs across three categories: People, Places and Arts & Culture. As part of the competition, Ohio State Buckeyes from 38 countries submitted photographs taken in more than 90 countries. The Places category had the most total submissions with 273 photos entered. Over 180 photographs were submitted in the People category and nearly 200 images in the Arts & Culture category.
The place winners and best in show photographs were selected by a three-person judging panel of staff at Ohio State. The judges honored one selection with the overall Best in Show award and selected first, second, and third place winners in each category. The judges also awarded honorable mention recognition to 30 photographs.
Organized annually by the Office of International Affairs, the international photography competition and exhibition has showcased Ohio State’s top international photography for more than 20 years. Visit International Photography Competition & Exhibition to view the current exhibition or browse past photography exhibitions.
